All Up in Your Business: How Did Supreme Patty Get So Famous?

This week, I want to analyze the success of Instagram star Patrick Wallace AKA Supreme Patty (@SupremePatty). There is a lot more than meets the eye to this lime-in-eye-squeezing, goat-stealing, weed smoking 20 something year old. There is a lot we can learn from him about growing a brand, creating viral content and monetizing it.

That is of course if you're willing to overlook his often borderline illegal antics and overall terrible behavior.

Let me start by making something clear. I think Supreme Patty is a pretty horrible person. If you want to know why, spend about 2 minutes on his wall.

Supreme Patty Stealing a Goat...

I'm in no way suggesting that you do some of the stuff he does for attention on his channel, even though, for him, it works extremely well.

Now, I won't lie and say I don't still follow him on Instagram. I watch his stories almost daily and I get an occasional nose laugh from his antics.

BUT the real reason I follow him is because he fascinates me as a marketer.

Like I said, there is a lot we can learn from him. Yes, sheep-stealing, lime-in-eye squeezing, riot inciting Supreme Patty knows how to get views and followers and he executes like an absolute boss.

Even if you hate who he is as a person, his meteoric rise to stardom can't be ignored.

He has amassed an Instagram and YouTube following of enviable proportions and he did it all while being (seemingly) himself. Even though "being himself," isn't great in his case, it is always nice to see people succeed without being fake.

At the time of writing, his Instagram account has 6.1 million followers and his YouTube channel has over 300,000 subscribers.

Also, these aren't fake followers from some click factory in a 3rd world country either. Supreme Patty has an A- Social Blade rating on his Instagram page and he gets incredible engagement on his posts.

He AVERAGES nearly half a million likes per post, he gets 17,000+ comments per post and his engagement rate is an astronomical 7.24%.

His YouTube is a B- but it is obviously all real followers based on the data shown. Instagram is definitely his more established channel (it is also about 4 years older).

Once of the reasons I chose Supreme Patty for this edition of All up in Your Business is that he is self-made. He wasn't born into a famous family, he isn't a professional athlete, obnoxiously good looking or any of that stuff you find in most Instagram accounts of his size.

Many of the things that Supreme Patty did to grow his brand can be emulated by just about anybody.

Also, it can be emulated WITHOUT stooping to the level of off color, slapstick comedy that he's known for.

"Many of the things that Supreme Patty did to grow his brand can be emulated by just about anybody."

If you're curious what a reach like that should translate to in dollars, it's easily in the 7 figures. If monetized very well, it could be even more.

Is Supreme Patty clearing 7 figures per year? I'm not sure honestly. Many influencers poorly monetize their followings. I don't get that vibe with Supreme Patty though.

About Supreme Patty

Supreme Patty (Patrick Wallace) was born on December 18, 1997 in Daytona Florida. His parents divorced when he was 3 and he never graduated high school. He did get a GED.

It's fair to say the odds were stacked against him, which makes his rise to fame even more impressive and interesting.

He opened his Instagram account in 2013 using "@SupremePatty" as his handle after creating it in a name generator. He opened his YouTube channel 2 years later in April of 2015.

His first viral video was him eating 3 hot dogs in 5 seconds. It went viral thanks to Orlando Bloom sharing it with his followers.

You'd categorize Supreme Patty first as a comedian, but he is also technically a rapper. The rapping came after his fame was already established. "Fame first, music second" is typically a recipe for terrible music.

I'm looking at you Joaquin Phoenix....

Supreme Patty joins other notable celebrities like Joaquin Phoenix (above) who became "musicians" after they had already found fame.

Supreme Patty is no exception. His music is absolutely horrible. But then again, I'm getting old...what do I know?

Side Note: My opinion means absolutely NOTHING. I am not in Supreme Patty's target demographic. From a business standpoint, he'd be wise to NOT worry about my opinions of him or his music.

His first popular track was released in 2017. I won't tell you the name of the song because I'm afraid you'll go and listen to it.

So, what is Supreme Patty's net worth? Supreme Patty's actual net worth is difficult to find. Some sites say it's as low as $250k and others claim it is as high as $2 million.

Regardless of how much cash he has saved up, Patty has built an audience that should continue to pay him for years to come. His massive (and continually growing) following is as close to a money press as you'll find without breaking the law.

Five Ways Supreme Patty Is Crushing Instagram

After following him for months and scrolling through every one of his posts, I've narrowed down Supreme Patty's success to five core elements.

#1 He Collaborates with Other Instagram Stars

Supreme Patty has surrounded himself around other Instagram celebrities and he has leveraged that exposure to grow his own channel.

Now, at this point, this isn't a one sided exchange. If someone collaborates with Supreme Patty on an Instagram post, they're going to gain new followers as well. Even if they're account is bigger than Patty's.

This is one of the great win-wins of influencer marketing and outreach.

Although he's collaborated with tons of big names, the best example might be when he brought @FoodGod on a video where he said he was taking him to a fine restaurant. It ended up being a McDonald's and @FoodGod was not happy about it.

I like this example because @FoodGod got famous from bumping elbows with celebrities. Perhaps you've heard of the Kardashians? Yeah @FoodGod is Jonathan Cheban, the friend of the Kardashian girls (he's the one who looks like Scott, but isn't Scott).

If you take just one thing from this article let it be this: consistently associating with people who have large followings and influence will help grow your own following and influence.

A connection to them creates almost instant exposure to their audiences AND if they tag you or share your content, people will follow you out of nothing more than curiosity.

Patty very likely realized that getting the support of influencers was so powerful from the first time Orlando Bloom shared his 3 hot dogs in 5 seconds video.

Here are a just a few of the mega Instagram stars he has collaborated with over the past couple of years...

That is an insane amount of free exposure!

Some work to engage them may have involved “liking or sharing” their material until they took notice of a new talent online, and Supreme Patty may have made that effort.

Once he had a large enough following of his own, many of these influencers likely approached him.

#2 Each Post Is Extreme and Grabs Your Attention

One of the beauties of having nearly no limits to how far you'll go with your content is that you can make videos that people almost HAVE to click.

Here is a picture of what Supreme Patty's feed looks like at the time of posting. You tell me, are these more entertaining than the typical Instagram feed?

Patty uses curiosity (whether he means to or not) to drive engagement to his content. His Instagram thumbnails always make you wonder "what the hell is going on here?"

Next thing you know, you're clicking on them.

The boy is good. He has developed a serious talent for getting people's attention.

#3 He Uses "Free + Shipping" Offers on Products to Drive Traffic to His Storefront

Marketing deity Russell Brunson would be proud of how Supreme Patty utilizes the free + shipping model to drive sales. He'd probably also be horrified since he's a good Mormon dude and Supreme Patty's antics are...you know.

One of the reasons I chose Supreme Patty for this post was because I noticed he was monetizing his brand on his own website and he was doing it (from what I can tell) really well.

He drives traffic almost daily with Instagram stories that encourage the viewer to get free chains, watches, bongs and accessories. His catchphrase is "swipe up to get iced up," and he is very consistent with plugging it in his stories.

Now, I know it's obviously working, but I can't really believe that people are wearing this cheap "ice" in public. But, again, I am getting old. What do I know.

Once visitors, "swipe up to get iced up," they see a bunch of other chains, bongs and accessories at SupremePatty.com.

Although he is targeting a younger crowd that likely has less buying power, I'm sure he's making some serious sales.

With a clear understanding of the value of incentivizing his followers, Supreme Patty’s website offers a “unique and extensive selection” of jewelry, accessories and merchandise that he approves.

In addition to offering his followers things that the site points out as something that “looks good without breaking the bank,” he implements another of the strategies that Forbes defines.

The “free sale” that Supreme Patty offers on his website reflects his understanding of using incentives to increase revenue. He uses it to encourage new and existing fans to follow his brand and to reach their circles of friends as well.

Supreme Patty’s website offers a free “Miami Cuban Link” necklace with a list price of $150. Users must enter a name, location and zip-code to select a shipping method and a credit card before checking out.

The length of time that deliveries require may indicate that Supreme Patty ships from a manufacturer outside of the country, but the site does not specify the location.

I tested this out and added a chain to my cart (no, I didn't buy it, I am an adult).

Now, I've been in the e-commerce business for awhile and I almost immediately recognized the chain I added to my cart...

This is the chain I added to my cart from SupremePatty.com. It was advertised as a $100 value...

Now, I've got a bridge to sell to anyone who thinks this chain is really worth $100. In fact, you can buy these for $1.13/unit if you do just the minimal amount of research.

The shipping cost for the “free” necklace at $13.99. Since the actual shipment cost can't be more than $6, this leaves plenty of profit for Supreme Patty.

$13.99 - $6 - $1.13 = $6.86 profit for "free" chain.

This leaves plenty of room for profits. Hey, nothing wrong with some capitalism baby! I'm not here to slam Patty for making a buck, but I want to show how he's doing it.

#4 He Grew a Community

The best Instagram accounts do a good job of creating hashtags that their followers can use and relate to. For Supreme Patty, he encourages his fanbase to form the “Lil Dick Gang," and "Shrimp Gang."

He brings these together with #lildickgang and #shrimpgang. What ends up happening is people who do crazy things like Supreme Patty use the hashtag and creating their own feed of insane content. This also grows his brand tremendously.

#5 He Is Transparent and "Comfortable in His Own Skin"

Ok, this is an area that I do give Patty tons of props.

Supreme Patty isn't one of those Instagram celebrities that uses tons of filters and pretends everything is always perfect.

He has very bad acne and never bothers filtering it out

He shows video of himself getting new teeth and skin surgery to fix his acne

He cracks jokes about himself and his "manhood" (hence #lildickgang)

You don't get the vibe that there is anything about Supreme Patty's life that you don't hear about. His followers love that. It makes him human. Just a really popular, insane human.

Supreme Patty is very open about his struggle with acne.

It's easy to label someone who rose to fame by doing things like pouring hot sauce in his eyes as a moron, but there is more than that with Supreme Patty. Although he is immature and annoying, we can all learn a thing or two about growing a brand from him.

Just don't think you have to pour hot sauce in your eyes to get followers 🙂

About the author

Nate McCallister

Nate is the founder and main contributor of EntreResource.com. He is a lifestyle entrepreneur who spends his time building businesses and raising his two kids Sawyer and Brooks with his beautiful wife Emily. His main interests include copywriting, economics and piano.